EAST LANSING – Coaching staff departs. Familiar stories emerge: new cultures, new philosophies, new phrases. Everything is better now. Michigan State University football people outside his program are also involved. Same as last time. And the time before that.
But for the remaining players, the ones who only saw something once or twice and didn't sign up for this, trust has to be earned.
We're seeing that start to happen with some of the leading voices in MSU's program. And midway through spring practice, the program is at that point under new head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff. And that's number one. Nothing gets accomplished in college football without trust and buy-in.
“Obviously it's going to take a little bit of time for them to gain confidence in the new coaching staff, which makes perfect sense,” said Smith, who will follow Smith and a number of Oregon State players to transfer to Oregon State. said junior tight end Jack Belling. The offensive line for East Lansing. “I'm just trying to keep giving them a reason. And the coaches are doing the same thing. I think we're gaining trust every day and they're cooperating as well, and that's I think it’s going to be great.”
The “why” started early in MSU's locker room for several key players.
For example, in the case of sophomore linebacker Jordan Hall, it started with a note he left Smith after Smith's first team meeting. Smith asked each player to write down three things they thought were problems with last season's team. Hall he wrote down two and…
“The third time, I said to him, 'This is how you build trust in the first place.' All I really want to know is whether you're going to read this.” So I put myself out there. I left a number. I told him to call me when he read it. Then he called me, I think it was a day or two later. We sat down and it was a huge jump start for our relationship. And he often joined the offensive line. But just because of his experience, I have a lot of trust in him. And I feel like he has the team's best interests at heart. ”
For junior defensive back Jayden Mangum, it started primarily with a tough analysis of his performance last season by secondary coach Blue Adams. Blue Adams had already shot down Mangum's reputation when they first spoke. Mangum was grateful to hear the unpleasant truth about him, including that he missed some playing time last fall.
“When I watch the film and look back, there are definitely things I could have improved on,” said Mangum, who started 10 games at safety last season. “If I want the team to be great, I have to work harder. So when they told me all the things I had to improve on, I just accepted it. And ever since, I'm working on it. (It's not) making plays off, running to the ball, improving my IQ. I'm just making plays.”
The same thing happened to Hall on his first phone call with new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Joe Rossi from Minnesota.
“I think I had a pretty productive freshman year,” Hall said. “And (Rossi) ignored that and focused on what he needed to work on more. … He said some good things about me, but most of them he said would help me improve the most. It was a correction of what he felt was the point.”
Hall said he considered moving, but thought that bringing in a new staff would be a transfer of sorts anyway. It's a new start for him in “good circumstances.”
A bond has formed between the players who stayed and those who endured last season, but it started with many of the same clichés about their predecessors. At the time, players like Hall and Mangum were seen as important pieces to a bright future for MSU football under Mel Tucker. All of last season's two games ended after Tucker was removed from the program amid an investigation into sexual harassment allegations.
“This series of events doesn't happen very often,” Mangum said. “After the first two games and going into a big game against Washington, when news like this comes out, it has a big impact on the team. A lot of players were able to overcome that and stay strong and finish the season. I am grateful for others because it shows character.
“You never expect something like that to happen. All of that has brought us even closer. … Our (new) staff has encouraged all of us to come out here and… It's giving us a chance to prove how good we are. That's all we can ask for.”
They learned what a business this is last year, with coaches and subsequent coaching staff being fired, and some players having their NIL contracts terminated midway through the season. They are now buying in. But they are unlikely to believe that this world will not spit them out if necessary.
Related: Couch: If NIL money is available, MSU football, led by Jonathan Smith, could win big. Michigan State and Washington State proved just that.
“At the end of the day, I’m here to play football,” Hall said. “I try not to get too distracted by what's going on outside. So it was really the same mindset – as long as I'm here playing football, I don't have to complain too much.”
“There's nothing strange about (the adjustment),” Mangum said. “Because the ultimate goal is to get into the NFL. It's pretty much the same in the NFL. It's a business. Things are going to move around and you're going to get traded and stuff like that. You learn to adjust and let things move forward. There's just a need. It's definitely not what I signed up for. But at the same time, I'm not going to let that stop me from achieving my end goal.”
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Please contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
